I have the pleasure of dealing with so many wonderful children and parents in my role as a Consultant Pediatric Ears, Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgeon. As a parent of young children as well, I understand the worry and stress that families face when our children are unwell.
One ENT issue that children tend to face quite often is snoring. Some studies say that 60% of preschool children snore occasionally, and 8% actually snore on a daily basis. So, as a parent, should you be worried if your child snores? The short answer is maybe. It really depends on how long they have been snoring, and the severity of the snoring itself.
Perhaps your child has been snoring for a few days, and they are also sick with a cold or the flu. Perhaps they have been exposed to higher levels of cigarette smoke, bahoor, shisha, or even air pollution, which has caused irritation in their airway. In these cases, the snoring is likely to reduce and eventually subside as your child's overall health improves. The snoring is likely happening due to the adenoids, at the very back of the nose, becoming larger in reaction to this upper respiratory tract illness or irritation. The adenoids are a type of lymphoid tissue and they become larger to help your child fight the infection.
But what happens if the snoring does not go away after a week or so? Persistent snoring may be a result of the adenoids staying big after an infection. You might find that your child mouth-breathes more both in the night and during the day, and at this point it is important to assess the severity of the snoring. How loud is the snoring? Does your child have any struggles or pauses while breathing? At this point, it would be prudent to have your child assessed by a local pediatrician or ENT surgeon.
There is also a type of snoring that is more associated with the tonsils. Tonsils are also a type of lymphoid tissue that is inside the mouth on either side of the uvula (which is the dangling structure that you see in the middle of your mouth when you look in the mirror). A child's tonsils can also become enlarged or even recurrently infected, and this results in similar snoring issues as adenoids. For children with large tonsils, eating can become challenging, and they may prefer smaller pieces of food. You may think that your child is being fussy, however it could be that there just is not enough space at the back of their mouth to easily pass the food.
In our ENT community, we tend to refer to snoring as primary or benign. However, as the severity of the snoring increases, and if the child is having trouble breathing, we then classify the snoring as sleep-disordered breathing or obstructive sleep apnea. This is where there is real concern, as persistent long-term obstructive sleep apnea can place significant strain on a child's heart and lungs. Since your child would be exhausted from poor sleep, this might lead to reduced attention and hyperactivity.
As a parent, you can really help your child by keeping good notes on their snoring. How loud is the snoring, and for how many days have they been snoring? If snoring persists after a few days or a week, and your child is mouth breathing, or having gaps in their breathing, then it is best to book an appointment with a pediatrician or an ENT. This will allow you to work together with a medical professional, and bring your child back to proper breathing health.
Written by: Dr. Safeena Kherani (Consultant in Pediatric Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery)
